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1971 South African Grand Prix
Kyalami Raceway Park | location = Midrand, Gauteng, South Africa | circuittype = Permanent racing facility | lapdistance = 4.104 | laps = 79 | distance = 324.216 | pole = Jackie Stewart | polenation = GBR | poleteam = | poletime = 1:17.8 | fastestlap = 1:20.3 | fastestlapdriver = Mario Andretti | fastestlapnation = USA | fastestlapteam = | fastestlapnumber = 73 | winner = Mario Andretti | winnernation = USA | winnerteam = | second = Jackie Stewart | secondnation = GBR | secondteam = | third = Clay Regazzoni | thirdnation = SUI | thirdteam = }} The 1971 South African Grand Prix, otherwise known as the 5th AA Grand Prix of South Africa (Afrikaans: Vyfde AA Suid-Afrikaanse Grand Prix), was the opening round of the season. __TOC__ Background As the first race of the season, there were a number of changes since 1970. * : had a new BT33 chassis for new driver Graham Hill, but the new model BT34 was not yet complete. Jack Brabham was no longer involved with the team, having sold his share to Ron Tauranac after his retirement at the end of 1970. * : The brand new first chassis of the P160 model arrived for Pedro Rodríguez, who, despite the lack of testing, was very optimistic about it. * came in on a high, having won four of the final six races in 1970, and having upgraded to a 312B2 model. Mario Andretti was going to attend as many races as his USAC schedule would permit. But after some early success the cars became less and less reliable, and for a while they went back to the 1970 cars. * retained Emerson Fittipaldi and Reine Wisell from 1970, but the shock of losing Jochen Rindt meant that the team carried out very little development in the off season, and it was not until the French and British GPs that the team started to make headway again. The introduction of completely slick Firestone tires had a negative effect on the handling, which Colin Chapman was slow to realize. * : The team had a brand new model 711 for all three drivers, featuring a much stiffer monocoque than the old 701 model, and a spectacular oval "tea tray" front wing, mounted above and forward of the nose of the car. At least one of the cars would run each race in 1971 with an engine, and financial support from Autodelta. * had a new driver Chris Amon and car (MS120B), but still no return to the success of 1968-69. Jean-Pierre Beltoise was not present at Kyalami, due to having his racing license suspended for causing the accident that killed Ignazio Giunti at the 1000km of Buenos Aires in January. The team did not replace him during his suspension. * : Arrived with a new model (M19A) for Denny Hulme. * : Arrived full of optimism, with a new team name incorporating primary sponsor Elf, and a new chassis (002) for François Cevert. The original 001 car had undergone more than 2,000 km of testing in the off season, and the team had made several upgrades, and improved the car's reliability. A third chassis would be ready for Jackie Stewart at Spain. Entry List The full entry list for the is outlined below: Practice Overview Qualifying Report Qualifying Results Grid Race Report Results Milestones *This was Mario Andretti's first Formula One victory. With this win he also became the first person ever to win the Daytona 500, Indianapolis 500 and a Formula One race. Standings after race References Category:Grand Prix articles Category:1971 Grands Prix Category:South African Grand Prix Category:Grand Prix articles Category:Formula One races in South Africa Category:1971 Formula One Season